STRATFORD -- A break in an 8-inch water main caused a 10-foot-deep sinkhole on a quiet side street in the North End on Tuesday.

Neighbors on the street said that their water pressure was good, although one said that the street "exploded like Mt. Vesuvius," with water and mud gushing downhill.

The break, which occurred on Shea Terrace around 2:45 p.m., forced police to close the street for much of the afternoon and into the night. The break was near the top of the street, not far from Hilltop Drive.

Aquarion Water Co. officials said a 12-foot section of 8-inch main had to be replaced. It wasn't immediately known how many customers might have been affected.